Our Curriculum

The First Act! Music Theater Workshop curriculum includes time to both build new skills and have fun. The day is divided into several sessions, each of which is taught by a performance professional who loves being on stage and working with kids. The program includes training in all aspects of putting together a musical theater production, including singing, dancing and acting (of course!), but it also introduces some of the "backstage" activities that are just as much fun, but that are often overlooked, such as designing appropriate costumes, choosing just the right props, and putting together sets that really set the scene. We even spend time talking about how to audition effectively. And all of our sessions take place in a real, working theater, where we can demonstrate how each aspect of a performance comes together and share the wonderfully rich history of the Academy of Music.

After instruction and practice with some of the area's most talented performance professionals, students in the program come together to present a fully-staged, Broadway-style musical revue for their friends and family. This special performance will take place on the afternoon of Friday, July 30th; more details will be sent home with participants at the beginning of the workshop.

A Broadway musical revue will be staged Friday afternoon to showcase the week's work. Parents and friends are invited to attend this special performance.

Daily Schedule

During each day of the workshop, participating students should plan to arrive by 9:00 a.m. Please note that students will not be able to enter the theater before 8:45 a.m. All students will enter through the stage door on the South Street (Route 10) side of the theater. Everyone will gather on stage to begin the day:

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM	Warm up
10:00 AM - 10:15 AM	Break (bring a snack)
10:15 AM - 11:45 AM	Musical Theater Chorus rehearsal
11:45 AM - 12:35 AM	Lunch (bring a brown bag)
12:30 PM - 1:00 PM	Special Topic
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM	Dance coaching (jazz/tap)
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM	Putting it all together

All program activities will take place at the Academy of Music Theater, 274 Main Street, Northampton, MA.